In NDE studies, experiences common in most accounts are posited ( travelling thru tunnel, bright light, life review with emotional experiencing, etc.). Would mindfulness practiced pre-death change / negate / bypass any of these experiences, in your opinion ? When you are confronted with these after-death, how would you practice, whether they be heavenly or hellish ?

old dead wood wrote:In NDE studies, experiences common in most accounts are posited ( travelling thru tunnel, bright light, life review with emotional experiencing, etc.). Would mindfulness practiced pre-death change / negate / bypass any of these experiences, in your opinion ? When you are confronted with these after-death, how would you practice, whether they be heavenly or hellish ?

Wow what an interesting question. There has been a lot of research on how meditation changes everyday consciousness, there is data that suggests people who do it are happier and tolerate change and pain better, so it would have to have an effect in this area as well.

Astronauts who passed out from heavy G's experienced these same things; this would suggest, as it has to NASA, that these experiences in fact have nothing to do with death. It happens when the brain is under severe stress and all but shuts down for a time.

Cloud wrote:Astronauts who passed out from heavy G's experienced these same things; this would suggest, as it has to NASA, that these experiences in fact have nothing to do with death. It happens when the brain is under severe stress and all but shuts down for a time.

As Pim van Lommel's studies have shown, these occur when the patient is brain dead already, no pulse, no breath, flatline on the ECG.

My recently moved Blog, containing some of my writings on the Buddha Dhamma, as well as a number of translations from classical Buddhist texts and modern authors, liturgy, etc.: Huifeng's Prajnacara Blog.

Cloud wrote:Astronauts who passed out from heavy G's experienced these same things; this would suggest, as it has to NASA, that these experiences in fact have nothing to do with death. It happens when the brain is under severe stress and all but shuts down for a time.

Most people don't know this, but full-blown NDEs also happen with migraines and epileptic seizures, also cases where the person is nowhere near dying. I know someone who sees herself as if her consciousness is hovering over her body when she has a migraine.